Good News From The War On Terror 9/20

Coalition forces arrest Iranian Quds Force officer

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces arrested an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – Quds Force officer in Sulimaniyah today. Contrary to recent diplomatic initiatives, this individual has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators into Iraq. Intelligence reports also indicate he was involved in the infiltration and training of foreign terrorists in Iraq.  The Quds Force is a covert action arm of the Iranian government responsible for aiding lethal attacks against the Iraqi government and Coalition forces.

 

Seven terrorists killed, eight captured in Coalition operations

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed seven terrorists and detained eight suspected terrorists during operations Thursday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders in the central part of the country. Coalition forces targeted a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq during an operation in Mahmudiyah in continued efforts to boost security in the southern belt around Baghdad. After several hours of monitoring a known terrorist group, ground forces returned to the area where terrorists had engaged them with small arms fire during previous operations. As Coalition forces arrived at the target area, they identified hostile intent from the group of men they were monitoring and called for close air support. Seven terrorists were killed and three suspected terrorists were detained on the scene. In Samarra, Coalition forces captured three individuals believed to be closely tied to senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq and two additional suspected terrorists.

 

Iraqi Special Operations Forces, U.S. Special Forces engage extremists, kill three; detain 14 others

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Special Operations Forces killed three militant extremists during an early morning intelligence driven operation targeting an extremist Special Groups battalion commander Sept. 19 in the Baya’a area of Baghdad. As the Iraqi and U.S forces arrived at the target location, two armed insurgents pointed their weapons at the forces exhibiting hostile intent. The forces responded with proportional and well-aimed fires, killing the two individuals. At a second location, a third insurgent attacked the teams with small arms fire. The teams responded with proportionate and well-aimed fire, killing the insurgent. The ISOF detained three other suspicious individuals at the targeted locations. The targeted militant extremist Special Groups battalion commander is wanted for launching rocket and improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. Intelligence indicates he is also the media representative for the Jaysh al-Madhi militia in al Baya’a. In two other separate intelligence driven operations Sept. 19 in Diwaniyah, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained 11 other individuals. The operations targeted smuggling operations and supply routes bringing arms, ammunition, mortars and IEDs into Diwaniyah. They were also targeting an extremist IED cell leader and assassination cell member.

 

Iraqi Special Operations Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain 7 Shi’a extremists

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained seven suspected Shi’a insurgents during an early-morning operation Sept. 20 in Sadr City. Iraqi and U.S. Forces were en route to detain a high-level Shi’a extremist, when several armed individuals were spotted on the rooftops of nearby buildings.  The forces called in an AC-130 Gunship to provide suppressive fire, allowing the forces to continue to their objective. Once at the objective area, several targeted residences were searched and seven suspected Shi’a extremists were detained.    As the team departed the objective, they were ambushed by several insurgents.  One ISOF Soldier received non-life threatening injuries and has been transported to a medical facility in Baghdad for treatment.

 

Sept. 19 airpower summary: Maintainers keep mission flying

 

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, al-Qaeda, Taliban, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Quds, Middle East

Taliban Use Children As Human Shields...Again

There is no limits on what these animals will do. You see it time and time again, not just in Afghanistan, but all over the middle east. These terrorists use innocent civilians as human shields, force children to become unknowing suicide bombers, and launch rocket attacks from schools.

Several Taliban fighters used children as shields to protect themselves from a joint Afghan National Army and Coalition forces patrol counter-attack this morning. Elements of the 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps, advised by Coalition forces, were conducting a combat patrol 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) northwest of Firebase Cobra in northwestern Uruzgan Province when more than 20 insurgents attacked them.   The insurgents struck the patrol with small-arms, machine gun, RPGs and mortars from multiple compounds as it neared Sarsina Village. Coalition close air support was called to repel the attack.  During the engagement, Coalition forces as well as the aircraft identified several insurgents in one compound using children as “human shields.” The ground force commander and the Coalition aircraft did not fire in order to prevent injury to non-combatants.  During the lull in firing, several Taliban attempted to flee the compound on motorcycles and they were engaged by Afghan and Coalition forces.  Both motorcycles were destroyed. “The enemies of peace and stability continue to show utter disregard for the innocent children of Afghanistan,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force-82 spokesperson.  “What makes this event all the more remarkable is that the insurgents attempted to save their own lives at the expense of these children during the holy month of Ramadan.  It was incredibly fortunate that non-combatants, especially the children, were not injured by these reckless acts today. ” More than a dozen enemy fighters were killed in the engagement.  No ANA, Coalition servicemembers or non-combatants were reported injured or killed during the fighting.

 

Technorati tags: Afghanistan, War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, Taliban, Human Shields, Islam, Muslim, Children, Middle East

Good News From The War On Terror 9/19

Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces kill Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist, detain 18 others in northern Iraq

TAJI – Iraqi Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, killed one al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist and detained 18 others during three separate operations Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 in northern Iraq.  During an operation Sept. 18, Soldiers from the 2nd Iraqi Army Division were called in to support other Iraqi forces that began receiving enemy fire in Sharqat, near Mosul.  After suppressing the enemy, the forces conducted an operation on intelligence that several high-ranking AQI terrorists were meeting in the area.  One suspected terrorist, who is believed to be responsible for facilitating AQI movement, was detained.  A 9mm sub-machine gun, a handgun and AK-47 ammunition were seized. In a separate raid Sept. 18, Iraqi Security Forces in Bulayj detained three individuals while conducting a presence patrol through multiple villages reported to be AQI safe havens.  Two of the detainees are alleged AQI facilitators in the area. During an earlier operation, Iraqi Army forces killed one extremist and detained 14 others after receiving enemy fire during a combat patrol to recover a weapons cache Sept. 17 in the village of Hugna, near Kirkuk. Upon entry into the village, the patrol came under direct small arms fire. The forces immediately returned well-aimed and proportionate fire, killing Baha Turki Abd Shabib, a known AQI assassin operating in Hawijah, Bayji and Mosul.  He is linked to the deaths of more than 60 innocent Iraqis, including the beheading of an Iraqi Army Soldier, and is responsible for manufacturing improvised explosive devices to be used in future terrorist attacks.        After the fire-fight, the forces began clearing targeted structures within the village.  Iraqi forces pursued multiple fleeing individuals into a nearby mosque and detained 14 suspected terrorists.

 

Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Operations Forces detain seven terrorists

BALAD – Iraqi Army Scouts conducted a series of intelligence-driven helicopter-assault raids Sept. 18, resulting in the destruction of an insurgent weapons cache southwest of Taji. During the raids, an insurgent weapons cache was discovered with more than 100 containers of nitric acid, eight anti-aircraft weapons, and improvised explosive device materials.  The cache was destroyed in place using close air support.  Three individuals, including a purported al Qaeda in Iraq sniper team spotter, were detained. During a concurrent operation, members of the Emergency Response Unit detained an al Qaeda in Iraq Emir and two cell members Sept. 18 in the al Adhamiyah area of Baghdad. The Emir and his cell members are suspected of conducting IED and indirect fire attacks against local citizens and Coalition Forces.  The cell also kidnaps and murders Iraqi forces and Sunni citizens who stand against their criminal activities. The extremists are linked to a May 3, 2007 IED attack that killed several civilians, as well as several attacks in March 2007 against an Iraqi National Guard facility and Coalition forces in the al Kadhamiyah area. In October 2006, they were linked to an attack that killed several Iraqi National Guardsmen and found to be responsible for detonating an IED against a U.S. military convoy.  In July 2005, they were suspected of murdering a female college student attending the IBN al Haythm College. In a separate raid, Iraqi Army Reconnaissance Soldiers detained a suspected extremist Sept. 18 in the Taji area.  The suspected extremist leads a company who is responsible for conducting multiple attacks using IEDs and explosively formed penetrators along main supply routes including an August 22, 2007 attack using an EFP against Iraqi and Coalition Forces.

 

Coalition forces kill one terrorist, detain 7 suspects

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed one Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force and detained another seven suspected terrorists during pre-dawn operations in Balad Ruz and northern Baghdad Wednesday. The operation in Balad Ruz targeted a wanted Iraqi suspected of links to the movement of weapons, equipment and foreign terrorists across the Iran-Iraq border. He is believed to have numerous connections to other suspected Special Groups leaders operating out of Diyala Province. When ground forces arrived at the target area, an armed terrorist engaged them with small arms fire. Coalition forces responded in self-defense and returned fire, killing the terrorist. Additional intelligence during the operation led the ground forces to a follow-on location, where they detained four men without incident.  A separate operation north of Baghdad targeted a Special Groups leader who reportedly oversees all logistics and operations in the area. The individual is linked to a large cache of explosively formed penetrators found Feb. 25 in the Baqubah area (SEE MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS – IRAQ RELEASE #20070226-01, “Iraqi Police, Coalition Forces Discover Large EFP Cache,” DATED Feb. 26, 2007). Intelligence reports also indicate the targeted individual facilitates the movement of foreign terrorists by providing them with false identification cards, trains operatives in bomb-making and smuggles weapons from Iran. Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists during the operation.

 

Coalition forces capture 11 suspected al-Qaeda members

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi and Coalition forces captured five wanted individuals and detained six additional suspected terrorists during operations Wednesday targeting terrorist leaders in northern Iraq and their operatives in the Tigris River Valley. Iraqi and Coalition forces captured two alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives in the Hamrin Mountains southeast of Kirkuk. Both are believed to be tied to al-Qaeda leaders in Iran and Pakistan, and have extensive knowledge of the network’s smuggling operations. The ground forces detained one additional suspect for his alleged involvement in the terrorist network. Northwest of Mosul, Coalition forces captured an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq adviser and recruiter who had provided a two-month indoctrination to terrorists joining the network. Two additional suspects were detained. Coalition forces detained five suspected terrorists during operations near Tikrit and Samarra. One of the detainees was wanted for allegedly leading an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell and conducting attacks on Coalition forces. Another detainee was wanted for his suspected association with al-Qaeda in Iraq’s network south of Baghdad, where he was believed to facilitate the movement and training of foreign terrorists.

 

Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader killed

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed an al-Qaeda in Iraq military advisor during an operation Aug. 31 west of Tarmiyah. Coalition forces conducted a precision operation west of Tarmiyah Aug. 31. The assault force followed a vehicle containing two suspected terrorists and attempted to get the driver to stop.  When the driver resisted capture, the assault force fired on the vehicle. Both the driver and the passenger were killed in the operation. Coalition forces later identified one of the men as Abu Yaqub al-Masri. Al-Masri, who is also known as Zakkariya or Doctor, was a military advisor to al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders in Baghdad and the surrounding belts. He provided guidance and direction for attack planning, coordination and execution. Intelligence reports indicate al-Masri was directed by senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders to plan attacks that would cultivate sectarian strife. The former al-Qaeda in Iraq military emir of Baghdad, now detained by Coalition forces, described al-Masri as director of the “car bomb division.” Al-Masri was one of the primary architects behind the Nov. 26 car bombings in Sadr City that killed 181 Iraqi civilians and injured another 247. He also planned major attacks on the bridges in the Rusafa area to isolate the Shi’ite population there. Al-Masri previously fought against Coalition forces in Afghanistan and is linked to several senior leaders of al-Qaeda. He was allied with Dr. Ayman Zawahiri, bin Laden’s second-in-command. He was also close to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq killed in a Coalition air strike in June 2006.

 

Sept. 18 airpower summary: A-10s provide security

 

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, Al-Qaeda, Middle East

Bin Laden's Gay Lover, gAyman al-Zawahri Also Releases A Video

It goes something like this, "blah, blah, infidels, blah, blah, Americans losing in Afghanistan and Iraq, blah, blah, Zionists, blah, blah, crusaders, blah, blah, Allah, blah, blah, Prophet Mohammed (piss be upon him), blah, blah, death to America and Israel." Actually, I haven't heard it, but this is standard moose-limb talking points.

Al-Qaida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri said the United States was being defeated in Afghanistan, Iraq and other fronts in a new video released Thursday, the latest in a series put out by the terror network. [...] "What they claim to be the strongest power in the history of mankind is today being defeated in front of the Muslim vanguards of jihad six years after the two raids on New York and Washington," al-Zawahri said, speaking in what appeared to be an office, with shelves of religious books and an automatic rifle leaning against them. "The Crusaders themselves have testified to their defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of the lions of the Taliban," he said. "The Crusaders have testified to their own defeat in Iraq at the hands of the mujahideen, who have taken the battle of Islam to the heart of the Islam world."

 

Technorati tags: Bin Laden, al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda, Terrorists

The Ghost Of Bin Laden Urges The Death Of Musharraf

Once again there is a "video" of Bin Laden. I'm sure this one will be as fake as the last few. This time the voice on the video calls for the death of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. See, Musharraf is FINALLY disrupting that little piece of terrorist heaven in the Waziristan region of Pakistan. al-Qaeda and the Taliban are scurrying about because the Pakistani Army has went and started to clean it up.

Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on Pakistanis to rebel against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in a new recording released Thursday, saying his military's siege of a militant mosque stronghold makes him an infidel. The storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July "demonstrated Musharraf's insistence on continuing his loyalty, submissiveness and aid to America against the Muslims ... and makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory," bin Laden said in the message. "So when the capability is there, it is obligatory to rebel against the apostate ruler, as is the case now," he said.

The Pakistani's are not fazed by the dead man's threats.

Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, a Pakistani army spokesman, said the army will continue its fight against terrorism, regardless of any threats. "We have the aim and objective, as our national duty, to eliminate terrorists and eradicate extremism. The Pakistan army will continue to carry out its role against terrorists wherever they are found, whether in the tribal areas (of northwest Pakistan) or elsewhere." "Such threats issued through videos or in any other way cannot deter us from fulfilling our national duty," he said.

 

Technorati tags: Bin Laden, Musharraf, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda, Taliban, Terrorists, Middle East

Iranian Madman To Desecrate Ground Zero

Even after the NYPD turned down Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad request to visit the former WTC site, he decides he's going anyway. The U.S. Secret Service should make it clear to him that they will not provide any assistance beyond a certain radius of the hotel and U.N. building. This primate is no better than Bin Laden, he's responsible for the deaths of Americans also. This is nothing more than a photo-op where he can mock Americans. It would be unfortunate for him if some rogue person or covert gov't agent happened to take him out while he was wondering the streets of NY.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requested to visit Ground Zero during an upcoming trip to New York. That request was rejected Wednesday. But a source tells Eyewitness News that the decision may not stop him. A law enforcement source says the Iranian mission to the United Nations has informed the Secret Service that the Iranian president intends to visit Ground Zero Monday at 10 a.m. The source says regardless of the NYPD's rejection of the request for a Ground Zero tour, Iran's president and his entourage will be accompanied by a Secret Service protective detail, a detail provided to all heads of state when they visit the United States.

I'm no fan of Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton, but I'm glad two high-profile presidential candidates let their feeling be known about this.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani released the following statement on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Under no circumstances should the NYPD or any other American authority assist President Ahmadinejad in visiting Ground Zero. This is a man who has made threats against America and Israel, is harboring bin Laden's son and other al-Qaeda leaders, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. Assisting Ahmadinejad in touring Ground Zero - hallowed ground for all Americans - is outrageous." Senator Hillary Clinton released the following statement: "It is unacceptable for Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who refuses to renounce and end his own country's support of terrorism, to visit the site of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in our nation's history."

 

Technorati tags: Iran, Mahmoud, Ahmadinejad, U.N., NYPD, Giuliani, Clinton, WTC, Ground Zero

Good News From The War On Terror 9/18

Senior al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist detained near Taji during Iraqi Scout, U.S. Special Operations Forces mission

FALLUJAH – Iraqi Army Scouts, with U.S. Special Operations Forces as advisers, conducted a series of helicopter assault raids near Taji Sept. 16, resulting in the detention of a senior Al Qaeda in Iraq member of the Abu Ghazwan network. He is suspected of conducting attacks that target local citizens in the Tarmiyah area who join the Iraqi Police or Iraqi Army forces. His cell has attacked the Tarmiyah Regiment of the 9th Iraqi Army division, the 9th Oil Protection Division, guards at the Al Karkh water treatment plant and Coalition Forces in the Taji area. The cell is also suspected of distributing propaganda and installing illegal check points.  This terrorist is additionally suspected of being the second in command to Abu Ghazwan’s network and the gatekeeper for access to Abu Ghazwan himself. This criminal network is known to commit robberies, kidnappings, murder, and is responsible for the Sept. 6, 2006 attack against a British Contractor convoy near Tarmiyah.   This terrorist network is believed to be linked to the kidnappings of employees from the Nasr Industrial Plant and is known to stage attacks from a local mosque.  The cell provides salaries and materials for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices to be used in the Baghdad area.  The cell is further suspected of storing and supplying weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, mortar rounds, mortar launchers, and heavy machine guns to be used in future terrorist attacks.  Iraqi soldiers raided a series of residences in a remote area northwest of Taji, detaining the alleged terrorist, two snipers, and 15 additional suspects.  Three AK-47 assault rifles, three tactical assault vests and various explosive components were seized during the operation.

 

Three terrorists killed, 13 al-Qaeda suspects detained in Tigris River Valley

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 13 suspected terrorists during several operations Tuesday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives and mid-level leaders in the Tigris River Valley. Three operations around Baghdad were aimed at improving security in the city and surrounding area. In an operation in Arab Jabour, Coalition forces targeted a key operative in the al-Qaeda in Iraq network. When the assault force arrived at the target building, armed men attempted to maneuver into position against them. Coalition forces responded to the hostile threat by calling for close air support, and two terrorists were killed by fire from the aircraft. Another man refused to comply with the ground forces’ instructions to surrender. Responding to the hostile threat, Coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. Six suspected terrorists were detained in the raid. During two coordinated operations in the capital city, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be a key operative for al-Qaeda in Iraq and its international network. Intelligence reports also indicate the man works for the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the southern belts around Baghdad. The ground forces detained two additional suspected terrorists during the raids. In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 4 to capture a suspected mid-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and two other suspects. About 50 miles farther north, ground forces detained one suspected terrorist believed to help smuggle weapons for al-Qaeda in Iraq.

 

Coalition forces capture wanted terrorist in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force network and two others during an operation early Tuesday in Baghdad. The operations were targeting a Special Groups criminal that is believed to be a leader of an improvised explosive device network and is also believed to have close ties to the production and distribution of explosively formed penetrators (EFPs). Reports indicate the targeted individual has been involved in the procurement of weapons and the facilitation of foreign terrorists in order to target Iraqi and Coalition security forces. Information from concerned citizens in the neighborhood led the assault force to a local facility, where the suspected Special Groups officer was also working as a security guard. The forces apprehended the man there without incident after close coordination with Iraqi police.

 

Cache found, several suspected militants killed in Ghazni

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Several suspected militants were killed and four were detained during an operation conducted by Afghan and Coalition forces today in Ghazni province. The forces suspected the compounds, located in the Gairo district, were providing sanctuary to anti-coalition militants.  Several confirmed enemy fighters posed a threat to the forces during the course of operations and were shot and killed. Additionally, AK-47s, hand grenades and rocket propelled grenades were found during a search of the site. Precision munitions were employed to destroy a building and the weapons inside it. Prior to the strike, the combined force escorted women and children from the targeted area to a safe distance. They were permitted to return after the strike was complete. There were no indications of injuries or deaths to non-combatants.

 

Sept. 17 airpower summary: Maintainers keep them flying

 

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, al-Qaeda, Taliban, Quds, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Middle East

Dan Rather Sues CBS,Viacom For $70 Million Over Rathergate

All because he didn't bother to fact check. It was the premise of the story, as Dan would say. Just because the National Guard memo about President Bush was faked, doesn't mean it didn't happen. etc. Dan dug his own hole, now he wants a pile of money to get him out of it.

As if CBS hadn't been rattled enough by legal flaps from shock jocks Howard Stern and Don Imus, a languishing newscast with Katie Couric as well as the controversial reality show "Kid Nation," the network has been slapped with a $70 million lawsuit by former anchor Dan Rather. Rather, whose decades-long career at CBS came to an inglorious end over his role in a report criticizing President Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service, on Wednesday sued the broadcaster and its former Viacom Inc. parent, as well as CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom and CBS chairman Sumner Redstone, and former CBS News president Andrew Heyward. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, argues that CBS violated Rather's contract by giving him insufficient airtime on "60 Minutes" after summarily dismissing him as anchor of "CBS Evening News" in March 2005.

 

Technorati tags: Dan Rather, Rathergate, National Guard Memo, Lawsuit, Liberal Media, CBS, Viacom

Canadian MP Seeks Cancer Treatment In U.S. (Universal Healthcare Failure)

As Hillary is proposing a universal healthcare program (i.e. socialist gov't), we are given this recent news about a member of the Canadian parliament seeking cancer treatment in the United States. Apparently; this isn't the first time Canadians with money have come across the border to seek treatment. I urge you to go to the article and read the comments. You find Canadians commenting on how "broken" the universal healthcare system really is. It is being twisted to appear like a personal attack against the MP, it's not, it's pointing out the failures of universal healthcare.

Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, who is battling breast cancer, travelled to California last June for an operation that was recommended as part of her treatment, says a report. Stronach's spokesman, Greg MacEachern, told the Toronto Star that the MP for Newmarket-Aurora had a "later-stage" operation in the U.S. after a Toronto doctor referred her. "Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there," said MacEachern. He said speed was not the reason why she went to California. Instead, MacEachern said the decision was made because the U.S. hospital was the best place to have it done due to the type of surgery required.

 

While we are discussing HillaryCare, over at Invincible Armor, he asks an excellent question:

She says, 2.0 is all about choices for people wishing to improve their health care. Question: If this works for health care why are Hillary and her "friends" in the Democratic Party so adamant about never discussing buffet style options for social security except to shriek that Republicans hate the elderly?

Indeed.

 

Technorati tags: Canada, United States, Universal Healthcare, HillaryCare, Hillary Clinton, Socialist, Insurance

Good News From The War On Terror 9/17

7 terrorists killed, 31 suspects detained in Coalition operations

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed 7 terrorists and detained 31 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Monday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operational networks. Coalition forces continued operations to secure Baghdad and the surrounding belts during two operations targeting terrorist networks in and around the city. West of Yusufiyah, Coalition forces raided a group of buildings while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who organize foreign terrorists to conduct suicide attacks. When the assault force approached the target building, two men in the yard drew weapons. Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, engaged the two armed men, killing them. A number of men from inside the buildings were maneuvering into tactical positions in the surrounding area, indicating they had advance warning of the raid. When the assault force followed the men, they encountered four individuals acting as lookouts and passing information to other enemy elements. Coalition forces defended against the hostile threat by calling for close air support, engaging and killing the four terrorists. The assault force engaged and killed another man who refused to comply with Coalition forces’ instructions to surrender. The ground forces detained 19 suspected terrorists during the raid. North of Taji, Coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists while targeting members of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the Rusafa neighborhood of Baghdad. Farther north in the Tigris River Valley, Coalition forces conducted two raids targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists. Near Balad, the ground forces detained two individuals allegedly tied to an al-Qaeda in Iraq group responsible for moving terrorists in and out of Iraq, as well as sniper and bombing attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces. In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Sep. 7 to conduct a raid that netted four suspects believed to move weapons, supplies and foreign terrorists for al-Qaeda in Iraq. Coalition forces near the Syrian border used information from an operation Sep. 11 to target a foreign terrorist facilitator there and detained four suspected terrorists.

 

Iraqi boy leads troops to weapons cache

BAGHDAD — A Multi-National Division-Baghdad unit discovered a cache of explosives and improvised explosive device-making materials in a western neighborhood of the Iraqi capital following a tip from a local boy Sept. 15. A platoon from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (Task Force Patriot), was conducting a census operation in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk when an 11-year-old Iraqi boy pointed out an abandoned house and suggested that insurgents had used it as a base of operations in previous months. The Soldiers discovered two cache sites within the house after a detailed search.  The contents of the two caches included four RPG-7 rockets, nine 57mm rockets, two 82mm mortars, one 130mm artillery round, one 122mm artillery round, one block of TNT, a foot of detonation cord, 52 AK-47 magazines and an assortment of IED-detonating devices. An explosive ordnance disposal team responded to the scene and removed the explosives for detonation later in a controlled environment.

 

Soldiers, aviators engage insurgents in Salman Pak

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq — Coalition Forces captured and killed several insurgents in the Salman Pak area during a pair of missions Sept. 12 and 13. On Sept. 12, Company A and the scout platoon from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, conducted a night air assault near Salman Pak. Soldiers assaulted north of Salman Pak via UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to surprise known insurgents in the 1-15 Inf. Regt. area of operations. After the air insertion, scouts detained two suspected insurgents as Company A secured its target area, detaining another insurgent and finding two AK-47 assault rifles and one shotgun. In all, three insurgents were detained and six buildings were cleared during the operation. A day later, on Sept. 13, Soldiers responded to reports of small-arms fire directed against the Joint Security Station in Salman Pak. Soldiers from 1-15 Inf. Regt. coordinated with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to engage insurgents. The helicopters opened fire on three insurgents after they were detected near a building on the outskirts of the town. Two were killed during the exchange. The third insurgent, wounded in the attack, moved into the building after meeting with four other armed men. The helicopters fired at the building after insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at them, killing two more and wounding another. Company A, 1-15th Inf. Regt. The remaining two men escaped. Soldiers moved to the site and evacuated the wounded man. The 1-15 Inf. Regt. is assigned to 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.

 

Coalition forces capture 12 suspected terrorists in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured an Iraqi terrorist with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Forces (IRGC-QF) and eleven other suspected terrorists during coordinated early morning operations in Baghdad Monday.  The operations targeted a senior Special Groups leader directly linked, according to sensitive intelligence, to several other high-ranking terrorists operating in and around Baghdad.  Those in custody are believed to be involved in smuggling and storing weapons from Iran used to attack Iraqi civilians and the security forces that protect them. Intelligence further indicates that the group is linked to the production and distribution of deadly Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) and the supporting of foreign terrorist operations.  Coalition forces detained six individuals at the first target area without incident, and followed on with operations at two other sites where they captured the other individuals. A vehicle approached the security perimeter of the ground force during the operation. The vehicle, which was out after curfew, was warned with lights and warning shots before Coalition forces engaged the hostile threat with machine gun fire and destroyed it. The ground forces assess the driver was killed.

 

ANSF destroy IED factory and weapons cache in Kabul province

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Elements of the 201st Afghan National Army Corps and Afghan National Police, assisted by Coalition Forces, found and destroyed an IED factory and weapons cache during a two day bilateral operation in the Sorobi District, Kabul province, ending the morning of Sep. 17. The ANSF planned and executed this mission after receiving credible information.   As the combined force entered the village, they were immediately attacked with small arms fire by an unknown number of insurgents.  The ANSF returned fire and Coalition close air support was employed to neutralize the positively identified Taliban fighting positions within several compounds.  Coalition aircraft utilized precision guided munitions and destroyed three insurgent fighting positions.  The ANSF-led force remained in the village over night and discovered an IED manufacturing area and separate weapons cache hidden inside a compound in the village.  The cache contained numerous rockets, mortars and about 50 feet of detonation cord.   Both the IED factory and weapons cache were destroyed by the combined force prior to their leaving the village. One insurgent was killed and one non-combatant 40-year-old male was injured during the engagement.  The injured male was shot in the knee with small arms fire by the Taliban.  Coalition forces provided immediate medical treatment to the injured man and he was later evacuated to a local hospital by ANP.  No ANSF or Coalition forces were injured or killed.  A shura was conducted between the ANSF leaders and the village elders prior to the combined force leaving.

 

Sept. 16 airpower summary: Tankers fuel the fleet

 

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, al-Qaeda, Taliban, Quds, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Middle East

More Charges For O.J.; Faces Life In Prison...Again

The prosecutor has filed 10 felonies against O.J., the newest being kidnapping. Once again he faces life in prison. Let's hope he gets nailed this time.

Prosecutors filed formal charges Tuesday against O.J. Simpson, alleging the fallen football star committed 10 felonies, including kidnapping, in the armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in a casino-hotel room. Simpson was arrested Sunday after a collector reported a group of armed men charged into his hotel room and took several items Simpson claimed belonged to him. Simpson, 60, was booked on five felony counts, including suspicion of assault and robbery with a deadly weapon. District Attorney David Roger filed those charges and added five other felonies, including kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to court documents. Simpson, accused along with three other men, faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted in the robbery at the Palace Station casino. He was being held without bail and was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

 

Technorati tags: O.J. Simpson, Las Vegas, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Life In Prison

Ohio-Based Saudi “Charity” Supporting HAMAS Terror University

It's beginning to look like my state is becoming a hotbed of terrorist activity. The author, Patrick Poole, makes me want to move away. He has written several articles about terrorist links in Ohio.

First there was the Holy Land Foundation. Then came Benevolence International, followed by Al-Haramain and KindHearts. Is Arab Student Aid International soon to join the list of Islamic “charities” closed down by the US government for financing terrorism? The Dublin, Ohio-based not-for-profit organization, Arab Student Aid International (ASAI), has funneled millions of dollars over the last decade to the HAMAS-founded and -operated Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) – an institution well known to be a financial and operational front for the terrorist organization – in addition to two other universities, Al-Quds and Al-Najah, both with extensive ties to HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. IUG was not only founded in 1978 by HAMAS founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, but its past and present staff includes many HAMAS leaders and legislators. HAMAS has also repeatedly used IUG as an operating base in factional clashes with their Fatah rivals and to store weapons and missiles for use in terror attacks against Israel. HAMAS was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization by President Bill Clinton in January 1995. Additionally, according to an April 2006 article published in the Washington Post, “Distance Learning: Hamas’ US Education”, several members of the HAMAS leadership conducted post-graduate study at US universities through scholarships provided by ASAI. This discovery comes at the same time as there is a present struggle in Congress to keep US public funds, particularly through the USAID program, from the IUG because of its critical role in the HAMAS terror infrastructure. Washington Times reporter Joel Mowbray disclosed earlier this year in a March 5th article, “School linked to HAMAS gets U.S. cash”, that USAID had provided $140,000 to IUG in violation of a US law that prohibits such support, which prompted congressional hearings where legislators grilled USAID Director Ambassador Randall Tobias about these payments. According to subsequent report by Mowbray, “How We Fund HAMAS University”, House Foreign Affairs chairman Rep. Tom Lantos told USAID Director Tobias, "Providing U.S. assistance to a terrorist-controlled university in Gaza was out of the question and, in fact, violates U.S. law." He added, "This outrageous support for terrorism must and will end." The disclosure about ASAI’s financial role in supporting the HAMAS terror university also comes amidst the ongoing Holy Land Foundation terror financing trial, where it has been revealed that payments made by US-based Islamic “charities” to IUG have been funneled to HAMAS operatives.

 

Technorati tags: Ohio, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Charity, Terrorists, Arab Student Aid international, Islamic Jihad, Turki bin Abdel Aziz

Good News From The War On Terror 9/16

Key al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist captured

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected longtime al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist during an operation Sept. 4 in Tarmiyah. Mu’ayyad ‘Ali Husayn Sulayman al-Bayyati, also known as Abu Wathiq, is believed to have helped bring the al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist group to Tarmiyah.  He is allegedly an advisor to senior terrorist leaders and was responsible for conducting executions. Intelligence reports indicate al-Bayyati is closely associated with a senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and conducts executions either by shooting or beheading people at the main intersection in Tarmiyah. Reports also indicate residents of Tarmiyah feared al-Bayyati’s constant threat of violence and knew him as “The Executioner.”  Furthermore, detainee reporting indicates that al-Bayyati tortured two 12-year-old boys by burning their hands and beating them, because he believed the boys were spies for Coalition forces. Al-Bayyati and two other suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists were captured on Sept. 4 during coordinated raids northwest of Tarmiyah. One of the other detainees is linked to an operation Sept. 2 where Coalition forces destroyed 12 tons of explosives. During this raid, Coalition forces found two caches of weapons and explosives. An air strike safely destroyed the bomb-making facility and caches found during this operation, which contained rocket-propelled grenades, explosive materials and fully assembled improvised explosive devices.

 

Iraqi Special Operations Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain two key extremist militant leaders

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained a extremist militant company commander and a cell member Sept. 15 during an operation in Ad Diwaniyah. During the operation, enemy fighters initiated an attack on Iraqi and U.S. Forces with an improvised explosive device, small arms and machine gun fire. The forces returned well-aimed and proportional fire to eliminate the threat, killing three enemy fighters and wounding several others. Intelligence indicates the extremist commander leads more than 20 enemy forces, who are responsible for launching improvised explosive device, explosively formed penetrator and indirect fire attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces in the area. On July 5, the group attacked the Coalition base in Ad Diwaniyah with indirect fires. Further intelligence reports that the group has launched more than 450 rocket and mortar attacks on the base during the past four months.  Reports also indicate this group assaulted the local police station on July 7 of this year, killed two Iraqi police officers and then fired on Coalition forces rushing to aid the police. In a separate operation Sept. 15 in the Bayaa area of Baghdad, ISOF detained an extremist militant battalion commander.  The suspect is linked to extra judicial killings, kidnappings and the forcible removal of Sunni residents from the same area.

 

Eight terrorists killed, seven suspects detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed eight terrorists and detained seven suspected terrorists during operations Sunday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq's leadership nodes and Baghdad-area operations. Coalition forces conducted two operations to bolster security in Baghdad and the surrounding belts. West of Tarmiyah, Coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 31 to target associates of the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the northern belts. As the assault force approached the target building, several armed men engaged them with small arms fire. Coalition forces returned fire in self-defense, killing one armed terrorist. Three of the armed men maneuvered into tactical positions in a nearby palm grove, and Coalition forces called in close air support to defend against the enemy elements, killing three more armed terrorists. As they secured the target buildings, one man refused to comply with the interpreter's instructions and remained barricaded in the building. After repeated attempts to convince the suspected terrorist to come out, Coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. The ground forces detained one suspected terrorist and discovered a cache of bomb-making materials, which they safely destroyed with an air strike. In an operation in the southern belts around Baghdad, Coalition forces targeted al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Arab Jabour area, including leaders replacing those who have been recently captured or killed. When the ground forces approached the target building, an armed man engaged the assault force. Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, killed the armed terrorist. Another armed man attempted to penetrate a Coalition forces security element, and a third attempted to engage the assault force from a nearby building. Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, engaged and killed both armed terrorists. The ground forces detained two suspects and discovered a cache of weapons and bomb-making materials, which they safely destroyed on site. Based on intelligence from an operation Sep. 15, Coalition forces captured a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq leader south of Ramadi. Coalition forces also conducted a raid in Mosul targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives who facilitate a foreign terrorist network, and detained three suspected terrorists.

 

ANAP, Coalition forces defeat insurgent attack in Helmand Province

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Auxiliary Police, advised by Coalition forces, defeated an attack by a large group of insurgents during a combat patrol nine kilometers (5.5 miles) north of the Sangin District Center in the Helmand Province this afternoon. The initial extremist Taliban attack began when 12 fighters engaged the ANAP-led force from three sides with small arms, heavy machine gun, mortars and RPG fire as the patrol neared Shalban Village, Musa Qalah District. The combined force repelled the attack and forced the insurgents to retreat into a nearby tree line.   The extremists Taliban reinforced their positions away from the village with additional fighters throughout the battle.  The combined force called in Coalition close air support to destroy the positively identified and exposed insurgents. The ground force commander estimated that more than 40 insurgents were involved during the failed attack on the combined force. A dozen enemy fighters were killed in the engagement.  No ANAP, Coalition or non-combatants were reported injured or killed during the fighting.

 

Several suspected militants killed in operation

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan and Coalition forces killed several suspected militants during an operation earlier today in Helmand Province using a combination of small-arms fire and precision munitions. The precision munitions were employed on locations in Garmsir District where the combined forces suspected Taliban militants were hiding. There was some damage to a building in the area throughout the course of operation. During the operation, a vehicle with a weapons cache inside it was found and destroyed. The cache consisted of several rockets, numerous AK-47s, a heavy machine gun, multiple boxes of ammunition, rocket propelled grenades and ammunition vests with magazines.

 

Nine suspected insurgents detained west of Kandahar City

BAGRAM, Afghanistan –Afghan National Security Forces, advised by Coalition forces, detained nine Taliban insurgents during an operation west of Kandahar City, Afghanistan, early this morning. Credible intelligence led the ANSF and Coalition forces to two compounds in Senjary Village, 14 km (8.7 miles) west of Kandahar City.  Intelligence suggested that the compounds contained a high-level-insurgent leader responsible for the deaths of Afghans and Coalition forces during IED attacks.

 

Sept. 16 airpower summary: Tankers fuel the fleet

 

 

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military, Coalition, Terrorists, Insurgents, al-Qaeda, Taliban, Middle East

Today In History; Sept. 17, 1787, The Constitution Was Adopted

Here is the first page. If you don't know what it says, you can read the transcript and the rest of the Constitution here.

 

Technorati tags: Constitution, 1787

Blackwater Security In Iraq Incident

I happened to notice several hits coming from search engines looking for "Blackwater". I'm not a genius, but it appeared something was up. So I did a search. Apparently; Blackwater Security was involved in a shoot-out. I'm pretty sure Blackwater's policy is only fire when being fired upon. Since they were in Iraq, it's not unfathomable that they were being fired on. Nevertheless; the Iraqi government announced that they were revoking Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq and those responsible would be held accountable.

Iraq's Interior Ministry has revoked the license of Blackwater USA, an American security firm whose contractors are blamed for a Sunday gunbattle in Baghdad that left eight civilians dead. The U.S. State Department said it plans to investigate what it calls a "terrible incident." In addition to the fatalities, 14 people were wounded, most of them civilians, an Iraqi official said. Sunday's firefight took place near Nusoor Square, an area that straddles the predominantly Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Mansour and Yarmouk. The ministry said the incident began around midday, when a convoy of sport utility vehicles came under fire from unidentified gunmen in the square and the men in the SUVs, described by witnesses as Westerners, returned fire. One witness told The Associated Press that he heard an explosion before the gunfire began. "We saw a convoy of SUVs passing in the street nearby," Hussein Abdul-Abbas, owner of a mobile phone store in the area, told the AP. "One minute later, we heard the sound of a bomb explosion followed by gunfire that lasted for 20 minutes between gunmen and the convoy people who were foreigners and dressed in civilian clothes. Everybody in the street started to flee immediately." A team from another security company passed through the area a few minutes afterward. "Our people saw a couple of cars destroyed," Carter Andress, CEO of American-Iraqi Solutions Groups, told CNN on Monday. "Dead bodies, wounded people being evacuated. The U.S. military had moved in and secured the area. It was not a good scene." An Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, said, "We have revoked Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq. As of now they are not allowed to operate anywhere in the Republic of Iraq. The investigation is ongoing, and all those responsible for Sunday's killing will be referred to Iraqi justice." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to call Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday to discuss the matter, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

According to a former State Dept official, Blackwater doesn't need nor have a license to be revoked.

Questions are being raised about the efficacy of Iraq’s attempt to close down Blackwater's operations in the country after civilian deaths. Iraqi Interior Ministry officials told reporters in Baghdad Monday they would revoke the company’s license and initiate criminal proceedings after Blackwater contractors providing security for U.S. diplomats allegedly opened fire from aircraft into a Baghdad street -- killing 11 people, according to some reports. The problem is, Blackwater does not have or need a license, and its employees are not subject to Iraqi criminal jurisdiction. Former senior State Department official Larry Johnson wrote in his Web long No Quarter Monday, “Blackwater does not have a license to operate in Iraq and does not need one. They have a U.S. State Department contract through (the Bureau of) Diplomatic Security.” U.S. State Department security staff, whose duties Blackwater contractors perform in Iraq, typically enjoy the same immunities accorded to all foreign diplomats.

They are operating under a contract by the United States. In fact, Blackwater cannot be arrested or tried in Iraq because of the Military Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction Act (.PDF) Which states:

To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish Federal jurisdiction over offenses committed outside the United States by persons employed by or accompanying the Armed Forces, or by members of the Armed Forces who are released or separated from active duty prior to being identified and prosecuted for the commission of such offenses, and for other purposes.

 

Technorati tags: Blackwater, Iraq, War on Terror, State Department

Middle East Round-Up 9/17

U.S. confirms Syria-N. Korea nuke link

The United States has determined that Syria has been seeking nuclear weapons from North Korea. "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria," Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Semmel said. "We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen." One North Korean-flagged ship, Al Hamad, arrived in the Syrian port of Tartous on Sept. 3. Three days later, the Israel Air Force attacked an unspecified target in northeastern Syria along the Euphrates River near the border with Turkey.

 

France ups ante in war of words with Iran

France took the first steps Monday to set up a European sanctions regime against the Islamic government in Tehran, after warning that Iran's failure to renounce nuclear weapons could lead to war. The tough talk from Paris came as the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany prepared to discuss new UN sanctions on Iran, which has failed to respond to demands to stop enriching uranium. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met his Dutch counterpart Maxime Verhagen in Paris and said European countries should prepare their own sanctions programs outside the orbit of the UN. "These would be European sanctions that each country, individually, must put in place with its own banking, commercial and industrial system. The English and the Germans are interested in talking about this. We will try to find a common European position," Kouchner said. Verhagen said the "first effort should be to convince the Security Council to apply more sanctions. But when the Security Council doesn't agree, I am prepared, I am willing, to apply European Union sanctions in common with the United States sanctions." France has taken a more threatening posture towards Iran since the election of President Nicolas Sarkozy in May, and its willingness to promote extra-UN sanctions puts it closely in line with the position of the United States. On Sunday, Kouchner used the toughest language to date from a French minister, warning that "we have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war." If Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would be a "real danger for the whole world," he said in an interview.

 

Iran warns Western nations against confrontation

ran on Monday warned Western states against picking a confrontation in the dispute over its nuclear program. Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh, who is also head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), told a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog that Western countries "have always chosen the path of confrontation instead of the path of understanding and cordial relations toward the great nation of Iran." His comments came one day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned that a war with Iran was possible over its nuclear program.

 

Bush setting America up for war with Iran

Senior American intelligence and defense officials believe that President George W Bush and his inner circle are taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. Pentagon planners have developed a list of up to 2,000 bombing targets in Iran, amid growing fears among serving officers that diplomatic efforts to slow Iran's nuclear weapons program are doomed to fail. Pentagon and CIA officers say they believe that the White House has begun a carefully calibrated program of escalation that could lead to a military showdown with Iran. Now it has emerged that Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, who has been pushing for a diplomatic solution, is prepared to settle her differences with Vice-President Dick Cheney and sanction military action. In a chilling scenario of how war might come, a senior intelligence officer warned that public denunciation of Iranian meddling in Iraq - arming and training militants - would lead to cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories. A prime target would be the Fajr base run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force in southern Iran, where Western intelligence agencies say armor-piercing projectiles used against British and US troops are manufactured.

 

600 Iranian missiles said to be pointed at targets in Israel, dozens at Iraq

Six hundred Iranian Shihab-3 missiles are pointed at targets throughout Israel, and will be launched if either Iran or Syria are attacked, an Iranian website affiliated with the regime reported on Monday. "Iran will shoot at Israel 600 missiles if it is attacked," the Iranian news website, Assar Iran, reported. "600 missiles will only be the first reaction." According to the report, dozens of locations throughout Iraq, which are being used by the US Army, have also been targeted. The Shihab missile has a range of 1,300 km, and can reach anywhere in Israel. On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that the nuclear Iranian crisis forces the world "to prepare for the worst," and said that in this case it "is war." Kouchner emphasized, however, that negotiations should still be the preferred course of action. Kouchner, quoted by French daily Le Figaro, added that "Iran does whatever it pleases in Iraq ... one cannot find in the entire world a crisis greater than this one." In response to Kouchner's comments, Iran's state-owned news agency accused France of pandering to the interests of the United States.

 

Technorati tags: Iran, North Korea, Syria, United States, U.S. France, Israel, Nuclear, Missiles, War on Terror, Military Strike

HillaryCare II; Say Good-Bye To Your Money

The tax money abyss knows as HillaryCare has been sighted recently. This time it want's to suck $110 billion of taxpayers dollars per year. 

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is unveiling a sweeping health care proposal Monday that would require everyone to carry health insurance and offer federal subsidies to help reduce the cost of coverage. Fulfilling a pledge to bring health care to all, Clinton's "American Health Choices Plan" has a price tag of about $110 billion per year. It represents her first major effort to achieve universal health coverage since 1994, when the plan she authored during her husband's first term collapsed. "It is long past time that Americans and the richest of all countries realize that health care is a right and not a privilege," Clinton said at a labor forum in Chicago. "And that goes especially for people who work hard every single day." The former first lady says she has learned from the 1990s experience, which almost derailed Bill Clinton's presidency and helped put Republicans in control of Congress for years to come. Aides say she has jettisoned the complexity and uncertainty of the last effort in favor of a plan that stresses simplicity, cost control and consumer choice. The centerpiece of Clinton's plan is the so-called "individual mandate," requiring everyone to have health insurance — just as most states require drivers to purchase auto insurance. Rival John Edwards has also offered a plan that includes an individual mandate, while the proposal outlined by Barack Obama does not.

It's not that I really disagree with a national health plan. But, you know that when democrats get a hold of it, it will turn into this giant, bloating, bureaucracy. I think it should be targeted to those who make too much for medicare/medicaid, yet don't make enough to pay for a private health care plan.

Many people in lower paying jobs are essentially punished for working. Those who are on any type of federal assistance are better off staying on it, than working. Some of the people that work at my store are single mothers. Being a cashier is not a high paying job. If you're exceptional at it, you may top out around $8.00/hr. They lose all benefits at that amount. Once you hit $7.00/hr, their benefits begin to decrease. Minimum wage is only $6.85. If you want people to get off welfare and get to work, in order to have a successful transition, you need some aid to continue. If they're working, they contributing taxes also.

 

Technorati tags: HillaryCare, Universal Insurance, Hillary Clinton, National Health Care

A Letter From An Iraq Vet To Congress

By Jeff Nuding

Dear Senators and Representatives: You shared in starting this war, now you want to end it, without regard for our progress, or the consequence of defeat? I served in Iraq two years ago, at your request. We have a saying in the noncommissioned officer corps, "I get my power from Congress." That's you. As a first sergeant, I led 160 soldiers from a New York Army National Guard military intelligence battalion. When politicos and pundits talk about a surge, men and women like us serve as the vital fluids that form the waves. We deployed about two-and-a-half years after the initial invasion, which toppled Saddam Hussein and destroyed and scattered his military. My job was to continue that mission. Prepare convoys. Keep my troops focused. Make sure they ate, drank water, got necessary rest. Keep them safe, get them home. We ran over a hundred convoys. We withstood mortar attacks, a rocket sailed right over our billets, a nearby vehicle-borne improvised explosive device rained car parts and shrapnel down around us. A rocket hit the dining facility, and mortars hit its parking lot. One sailor attached to us, having a late night smoke, lost his legs when a mortar landed at his feet. We aggressively identified terrorist cells and local area anti-coalition forces for targeting. Our ground surveillance radar guys ran missions with Army scouts in remote areas, survived IEDs and a complex ambush. We came back home knowing there was more job to be done, but we knew we'd done well. We did our job. Why are you resigned to failure? Back in 2003, you — including both of my senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton — voted to authorize the President to take military action. You voted, and by virtue of your authority, that means the U.S. government went to war. You approved the appointment of Gen. David Petraeus, who last week sat in front of your committees and explained the progress of the war and the difficulties of the way ahead. It was an honest and forthright assessment from a soldier who thinks the military can achieve our objectives and that the military can create the environment for real change in Iraq. Critics seemed to tune him out even before he began. They seem to believe that this war has already been too long and too painful to continue. Sen. Clinton, you rejected Gen. Petraeus' testimony as a "positive view of a grim situation," stating that accepting his testimony at face value required a "willing suspension of disbelief." I wonder if being a politician means knowing how to call your opponent an opportunist and a liar to his face, without ever stating it plain. I voted for you in 2000. Could I take that vote back, the way you seem to want to take back your vote to authorize force? My soldiers know about the long and painful costs of war. All of us left our civilian jobs for a year and a half, and left our families and loved ones behind. Some lost their families or their marriages, and some lost their grip on home or health. Yet none of us in the military serve under any illusion. We know what we signed up for. That's why so many of us reenlist. Wars take time. They require steady will and determination. They compel commitment. If fighting Saddam Hussein, and later Al Qaeda, in Iraq was important when earlier in this mission, they should still be important today. Al Qaeda is badly wounded there and elsewhere, but they aren't dead yet. Iraq is making gains as a democratic nation, but they still need help. They still need time. Dear Senators and Representatives, you criticize President Bush relentlessly — picking apart the speech he gave last week with withering words, looking for any and every chance to bring him down. But at least he maintains steady attention to this war. At least he seems to grasp the stakes of losing and the danger of giving up. Not so Congress. Leaders influence the morale of their people, for good or bad. I wish you wanted to lead your constituents toward victory rather than defeat. Nuding served in 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Military Intelligence Battalion, 42nd Infantry Division of the N.Y. Army National Guard.